Demonstrations Banned in Diyarbakır, Mardin After Mayors Replaced with Trustees

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After the Ministry of Interior sacked the mayors of Diyarbakır, Mardin and Van Metropolitan Municipalities and assigned trustees to their places, demonstrations and events have been banned for 30 days in Mardin and 15 days in Diyarbakır.

As for Van, the ban has been in effect for 1,003 days. It was introduced on November 21, 2016, during the state of emergency that was declared after the July 2016 coup attempt.

The HDP's attempt to stage a march and make and press statement faced a harsh intervention of the police yesterday (August 19). Today, all roads leading to Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality were closed before the announcement of the HDP. Those who came from outside the city were not permitted. The police blockade of Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality building and its surrounding area was put in place before a press statement by Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chair Sezai Temelli, accompanied with co-mayors and HDP MPs.

Diyarbakır ablukada. Kentin bütün giriş çıkışları kapatıldı, her yerde engellemeler ve saldırılar var. Bütün engellemelere rağmen halkımız siyasi iradesine, oyuna ve onuruna sahip çıkıyor. Darbeciler bir kez daha yenilecek, kayyım zihniyeti tarihin çöplüğüne gidecek. pic.twitter.com/hupRTJ56x5

— HDP (@HDPgenelmerkezi) August 20, 2019

The politicians tried to walk to the municipality building but the police blocked them circled the group. The police used crowd control vehicles and water cannons against those who wanted to walk.

Sezai Temelli made the statement on Lise Street near the municipality: "Make noise from everywhere, stop life. Ours is a struggle for law and Justice. Lay claim to your will and future. We are in the squares today as we were yesterday," he said.

"You see the regime of oppression and oppression here today. There is no compromise with fascism, we will continue to resist wherever we are. We will continue to use our legitimate right everywhere. In fact, a civilian coup took place by appointing trustees to our municipalities. The will of the people is on the street, in Diyarbakır, Turkey. Diyarbakır is ours, Turkey is our common homeland. We will lay claim to our city and our municipality. The people of this city are brave. We will surely sweep away these cowards, this regime, this trustee as we did in the past.

"We do not accept this attack. This attack is not only aimed at the Kurdish people, but it is also aimed at İstanbul and İzmir. It is aimed at the peoples of Turkey, the laborers, the women.

"The HDP won't be silent. Insistently, we are on the squares every day. We will talk every day. Every day we will tell the truth to their face." (HA/VK)